“Katie, it wasn’t his fault,” Lenny says. “Nolan didn’t invite anyone but us. I’m who invited the rest.”
Katie fixes a glare on Lenny. “Of course, you did. You two idiots are the worst influence on each other.”
“I think of plenty of bad ideas by myself,” Lenny says.
A tall guy with dark curly hair laughs, drawing Katie’s attention. “Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one, Pops?”
“We won. It’s the first game of the season. We needed to celebrate,” the dark-haired guy says in response.
It looks as though steam is about to pour from Katie’s ears. “Notin my house.” She nails at least three of the other teammates with a glare before settling on me. Confusion and betrayal cloud her gaze before she ascends the stairs two at a time.
When I turn back around, Hannah’s staring at me, her happy cloud of bliss cracked.
“Well, shit,” Lenny says. “Want me to go talk to her?”
Evelyn scoffs. “No. You just failed negotiation one oh one.”
“It’s because she’s trying to fight her attraction to me,” Lenny says, running a hand down his chest and earning a handful of snickers and scoffs. He smiles, accepting them all before eyeing me. “What kind of pull do you have, roomie?”
“Let’s not worry about it,” Nolan says. “Let’s just clean shit up and give Katie time to cool down. I’ll handle it.”
Without debate or direction, the group does exactly that. The house is mostly silent at first, then slowly, a low hum of conversation with frequent jeers and chuckles fills the house as Nolan’s teammates and a few friends stick around to help us clean the puddles of beer and stray cups.
I’ve always thought of our house being a sanctuary, a safe place from the chaos of college, the parties, and all the craziness, but filled with the friendship and comradery of the group has that familiar hollow place in my chest growing and becoming increasingly noticeable, and I find myself missing April as well as missed opportunities from last year.
I’m righting the chairs and clearing the dining room table, when Evelyn appears, a wince marring her expression. “I’m really sorry,” she says. “I hope we didn’t cause too much of a mess or a problem for you and Katie.” She grabs a random sweatshirt off the floor that was left behind.
I shake my head. “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “I’m sure she’s just feeling a little blindsided by finding a hundred people packed into the house.”
“I think there was more,” Evelyn says, following me into the kitchen. “In that last twenty minutes or so, the group seemed to double.” She releases a regretful sigh. “I feel bad. I wouldn’t want this many people in my house, either.”
Neither would I.
Normally.
We both turn when the guys start laughing at something.
“How long have you all been friends?” I ask, feeling the tendrils of envy curl around my chest.
Humor has Evelyn’s dark eyes shining. “I’ve known Hudson and Mila forever, but I just met the others this summer.”
“Really?” My shock is born in the natural and comfortable way she interacts with them all.
Evelyn nods, glancing over her shoulder again in the direction of Hudson. “We grew up together, and then kind of lost touch.”
A gaze that shouldn’t feel so familiar or recognizable has me looking at Nolan where he’s standing with a group of friends, watching me with an expression I can’t read.
“Could you do me a favor?” I ask, turning to Evelyn.
Amusement crosses her features.
“Nolan and I somehow started a prank war, and if you could do a little covert digging, and find out if he has any irrational dislikes or fears—mild, nothing that would be cruel—I would appreciate it.”
Evelyn grins and pulls her phone from her back pocket. “It would be the highlight of my week. Give me your number, and I’ll text you if I learn anything.” As we finish exchanging numbers, the guys howl with laughter.
Hudson glances in our direction, grinning when he catches Evelyn’s eye. It’s so nauseatingly adorable I want to be a cynic and claim it’s infatuation, drawing on the facts that Hannah shared during the game about how their pre-frontal cortexes aren’t fully developed, but when Evelyn turns back to me, her emotions still potent and unmasked, that theory melts away like icing on a hot cake and I find myself silently cheering for them.
Hudson peels away from the group and makes his way over to us, encircling Evelyn’s waist with an arm. She lights up like a Christmas tree.